Yours, From Day One
by SassenachLassy
Summary: On hearing that Baek Seung Jo will not register their marriage until Oh Ha Ni passes the nursing exam, she realises that nothing will change in their relationship unless she changes. It's time to stop being Seung Jo's shadow and figure out what she wants in life.
1. Chapter 1 - I Don't Believe You

"It just feels like we're rushing through it all."

Ha Ni can't believe her ears. They have shared their marriage bed as man and wife for two amazing nights and Seung Jo is now having doubts and refusing to file their marriage licence. Ha Ni is so dumbfounded that she misses part of Seung Jo and Geum-hee's conversation.

"Let's register once you pass the test to change majors."

Ha Ni had just told the family that it could be months before a place even becomes available for her to sit the test, and hearing those words come from Seung Jo fills her with a mixture of fear, shock and anger. The shock wins out and Ha Ni stands frozen while Geum-hee argues Ha Ni's case.

"There is a chance she may not get to take it at all!"

"I'm sure it will happen…eventually." With that parting shot, Seung Jo gets up from the table to leave the room. At the bottom of the stairs he pauses and turns back around. Ha Ni raises her head slowly to find him watching her intently. Feeling numb, Ha Ni nods her head once and turns toward the front door.

"Ha Ni…!"

"I'm going for a walk."

"Do you want company?" This was not how he expected her to react. He expected whining and cajoling, not this quiet, pale shadow.

"No." For the first time, Ha Ni did not turn around to get one last glance of Seung Jo as she left him. If she did, she would have seen a look of uncertainty on his face.

When Ha Ni becomes aware of her surroundings, she finds herself at the park three blocks away. Taking a seat on the swing set, she gently rocks back and forth. She knows she has to calm herself. She is a married woman, well a woman, she reminds herself and no longer a teenager. Remembering how Seung Jo didn't want an officiant at their wedding makes more sense to her now. Ha Ni fights back the pain of Seung Jo's latest rejection, she needs to think this through rationally. The fact that he went through with the wedding ceremony at all should at least give her some hope, but knowing he felt pressured, leaves her cold. Why did he go through with it?

What should she do? Ha Ni bites her nails as she thinks. It's time to show Seung Jo that she is now an adult and won't let him manipulate her anymore. She wants him to see her as his equal, someone he thinks worthy to be his wife. Pulling out her phone, she presses a number on her speed dial and waits through the ringing.

"Ha Ni!"

"Papa!" Hearing her father's voice causes a few tears to slip free for the first time.

"Papa, I need a favour…"

Ha Ni quietly enters the front door of the Baek's home and tiptoes up the stairs. She is not yet ready to face anyone or deal with mom's concern. She dearly loves Geum-hee but she needs some time to strengthen her will against any persuasion that she may use to sway Ha Ni from her plan.

Reaching the bedroom that Ha Ni shares with Seung Jo, she strokes the bedspread as memories fill her head from the night before. Shaking her head, Ha Ni walks over to the wardrobe and removes her suitcase. Fifteen minutes later, she does a last sweep of their room to make sure she hasn't forgotten anything and zips up her suitcase. Ha Ni is so intent on her task that she doesn't hear the bedroom door open.

"Running away again Ha Ni? When are you going to grow up!?" Hearing the cold, harsh tone, Ha Ni spins around.

"Seung Jo…" Hearing how fragile her voice sounds, Ha Ni takes a deep breath and walks to the door. Taking Seung Jo's hand, Ha Ni pulls him into the room and closes the door behind him. Leading him to the bed they both sit on the edge. Ha Ni pulls his hand into her lap and plays with his fingers while admiring his hands. His perfect doctors hands. Ha Ni smiles softly at the memory of him telling her that he was going into Pre-med and remembers how happy she was to realise that her opinions mattered to Seung Jo.

"Ha Ni? What is going on?" Ha Ni is relieved that he had dropped that dreaded cold tone. She chides herself quietly for thinking that she would never hear it directed at herself after they were married.

"Ha Ni?"

"Seung Jo, I'm moving into the upstairs of papa's shop for a little while. Just until we sort out this marriage business."

Ha Ni feels Seung Jo shift towards her on the bed and finds that now she is no longer holding his hand, instead hers is gripped tightly in both of his.

"You don't have to leave." Hearing how unsteady his voice is, Ha Ni has to force herself not to look at him. She knows it would be her downfall. She has made a decision and knows that she should not be swayed from it. Seung Jo and she will be better for it in the long run.

"Seung Jo, it is no secret that I have loved you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. I have put up with a lot over the years. The constant humiliation and rejections. I thought that once we got married, all that would be behind us."

Seung Jo feels his heart tighten when he hears her whisper "Stupid!" with a bitter twist to her mouth. What has he done? He only wanted to give her an incentive to try hard, not for her to leave him.

"That is not what…"

"Please, let me finish. You must see that I cannot stay here and share your bed when we are not legally married. I don't want to cause upheaval to Eun-jo again. Not when I've finally earned a little of his respect."

"I will sleep on the sofa on the landing. Please. Don't leave. "

"I need some space to think. To decide where I go from here. My world has always orbited around you. It's time to decide what I, Ha Ni, really want out of life."

"Haven't you forgotten something?" Ha Ni flinched when she heard the anger in his voice. "Have you forgotten that you have shared my bed, quiet happily, for the last two nights? What if there are consequences?"

Ha Ni felt sorrow well up at his words. Her greatest wish is to have Seung Jo's babies. But not like this. "I'll let you know either way. In the meantime pray that I'm not. I never wanted my babies conceived out of wedlock."

"Have you forgotten the ceremony?"

"No, but without the legal documents, it was just a pretty party."

"Ha Ni! I'll go down…"Ha Ni cut him off.

"I have to go. Papa will be waiting downstairs by now."

Seung Jo was beginning to feel desperate. Ha Ni had not looked at him since she first saw him in the doorway. Eyes downcast, she turned toward him and kissed him on the cheek. She stood up and reached for her suitcase beside the bed.

"I love you."

At those whispered words, Ha Ni froze. She felt a tear escape onto her cheek. She had waited so long to hear him say those words to her. Taking a deep breath, Ha Ni stepped away from the bed and Seung Jo, who was still gripping her hand. When her arm was fully stretched out behind her, she gave a little tug until Seung Jo released her hand. She quietly exited the room and closed the door behind her.

At the bottom of the stairs, her father and the rest of the Baek clan were waiting for her.

"Oh Ha Ni! You're papa told me. I'm so sorry! It's all my fault!"

Ha Ni stepped into her mother's arms and gave a little squeeze. "Come visit me soon?" Geum-hee gave a watery smile and nodded her head. Next Ha Ni felt herself engulfed in a bear hug from Soo-chang. "Take care of yourself, my Ha Ni. We are going to miss you!"

After a kiss on her cheek, she felt herself released only to have Eun-jo collide with her as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held on for dear life. "Everything will be ok. You'll see." After hearing these words whispered into her stomach, Ha Ni felt her eyes well up again. She bent down and kissed his head while giving him a squeeze. He let go of her and ran up the stairs. A few moments later, they heard his door slam shut.

"Come on Ha Ni. Let's go." With a nod at the last two remaining Baek's, Ha Ni walked out of the house with her father while Geum-hee quietly sobbed into her husband's shirt.

When they reached the restaurant, Ha Ni was glad to see that Joon-gu was not there. Her father carried her suitcase up the stairs and looked at her sadly.

"I wish I could stay here with you."

"I know papa. But with the renovations happening, I'm just glad that you kept this room as an office."

"Is it enough?"

Ha Ni looked around the small room. "I only need a sofa bed and a desk. I'll have my meals downstairs. I'll be fine."

Sensing that Ha Ni wanted to be by herself, Ki-dong gave his daughter a hug and kissed her on the head with an ache in his heart. "I'll be downstairs if you need me."

When Ha Ni heard her father walk down the stairs, she collapsed on the sofa and finally let go of her anguish by quietly sobbing into a cushion. How is she going to get through this?


	2. Chapter 2 - That's What Friends Are For

A.N

Thank you all for your support for this story! I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I plan on having the next one up by the end of the week.

The next morning Ha Ni is up early. Her classes do not start until the afternoon and she has asked Min-ah and Joo-ri to come to breakfast at the restaurant. Ha Ni is sitting at a table when they come in together.

"Good morning Ha Ni!" they chorus. Ha Ni give her two best friends a hug and they all sit down.

"Where is Sueng Jo?" Min-ah asks, looking around Ha Ni and peering into the kitchen. It doesn't happen very often, but Ha Ni sometimes manages to drag Sueng Jo to their breakfast meetups. Min-ah expected him to be there considering they married only a week ago and just got back from their honeymoon.

Looking back at Ha Ni, Min-ah notices for the first time that Ha Ni looks pale with dark rings around her eyes.

"Ha Ni?" Min-ah is surprised to see tears gather in Ha Ni's eyes. She grabs hold of one of her hands and notices that Joo-ri clasps the other hand as she watches tears spill down her cheeks.

Ha Ni whispers, "I left him."

"What! What did Baek Sueng jo do to my Ha Ni? I'll make him pay!" Min-ah jumped out of her seat and quickly grabbed the tray with an array of dishes that Joon-gu had all but forgotten about in his hands and safely placed it on the table.

Joon-gu grabbed hold of Ha Ni's now free hand and clasped her fingers in his.

"I know I said that if you regretted being with Seung Jo that I wouldn't take you in, but it was a lie! I will always be your home Ha Ni." Min-ah turned away, feeling like an intruder listening to Joon-ju's impassioned words.

"What makes you think she wants you?" Min-ah grabbed Joo-ri's arm to silence her. She didn't know what was going on between the newlyweds, but she knew this was something that Ha Ni had to sort out herself.

Ha Ni freed her hand from Joo-ri and placed it over the hand that was clutching hers. "Thank you Joon-gu. You have always been there for me and I love you for it." At that, Min-ah turned around to see the beautiful smile that graced Joon-gu's face. "Please don't mistake my words. I love you as a friend. Nothing has changed. I love Seung Jo as a man and I always will." Joon-gu lets out a pained sound and Min-ah touches his shoulder in comfort. Her heart is breaking for him, but she knows this conversation is long overdue.

"You need to move on Joon-gu. It hurts me to see you so sad. I want you to find a girl that sees how amazing you are and appreciates and loves you for it." At Joon-gu's protest, she continues, "Promise me. Please!" Joon-gu gives a nod of his head.

"When you find her, I want you to not chase after her so single-mindedly. Allow her to pursue you." Ha Ni looks over Joon-gu's shoulder and gives a watery smile. Curious, Min-ah looks over her shoulder to see the foreign girl that has become a regular customer give a teary smile back.

"I know it may be too much to ask right now, but I want us to stay friends."

"Oh Ha Ni, I'll always be here for you. If you ever want me to sort out your husband and knock some sense into him, you just have to ask."

Ha Ni lets out a genuine laugh at that and Joon-gu stands up and gives her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll leave you ladies to eat your breakfast before it gets too cold." That's when he notices the foreign girl sitting at a table and pulls his pad and pencil from his apron and walks towards her. Min-ah watches him leave and hopes her friend will be ok. She smiles and turns away when she hears the girl flirting with him and Joon-gu starts bickering with her and knows he is going to be just fine.

"What happened Ha Ni?"

"Where do I start?"

"How about at the beginning?" Ha Ni nods and starts picking at the food.

"I should never have let mother pressure Seung Jo into a quick wedding. It's been my dream for so long that I couldn't help being selfish. Now it's all gone so wrong! You know what he was like before the wedding. He didn't want any part of it."

Joo-ri pipes up from beside her, "But that got sorted. He married you!"

"Did he?" At Min-ah's and Joo-ri's shocked faces, Ha Ni continued, "The honeymoon did not go as planned. There was another newlywed couple and they were everywhere we went. The wife kept pairing herself up with Seung Jo and was hanging all over him…"

"That hussy!" came from both appalled friends.

"…and I was left to her husband. At night they would come to our room with alcohol. Seung Jo never sent them away. I was so jealous that I would drink myself unconscious every night. On the morning of the second last day her husband turned up at our door asking for Seung Jo. His wife was in pain and knowing that he was going to be studying medicine, asked for him."

"Why didn't she go to the resort doctor?" Hearing the anger in Joo-ri's voice, Min-ah looked over to see her friend balling her fists and looking like she wanted to hurt someone.

"Right? That's what I said", whined Ha Ni. "So we go to their room and she is writhing on the bed. I still think she was faking. When I saw Seung Jo touching her I lost it! We had been married for days and Seung Jo still had not touched me like he was her because she was always around."

"What? You had still not…?" Min-ah was surprised to hear this.

Ha Ni shook her head with a blush. "We got into an argument and I ran out."

"What happened then?" Joo-ri was quick to fill in any silences that Ha Ni left.

"Seung Jo found me about thirty minutes later and apologised. I don't know what happened in the room after I left, but the couple left us alone after that. Seung Jo and I enjoyed the last of our honeymoon and everything was perfect!"

"Did you…you know?" Min-ah leant forward also wanting to hear Ha Ni's answer.

Ha Ni gave a slight smile and nodded. "What was it like?"

"I can't tell you that!" Ha Ni replies with a huge smile on her face. Min-ah snorts. Ha Ni didn't need to say anything, her face gave it away. Ha Ni's face clouds over and her smile slips. "Yesterday morning, mother asked him when he was going to file our paperwork to make the marriage legal. He said he wouldn't do it until I passed the exam to enter nursing school."

"He didn't!" Min-ah felt herself fill will rage on her friend's behalf. "He can't do that! It could take ages for that to happen and you have already lived as man and wife."

"That's why I had to leave. I couldn't stay under the same roof and not touch him. Or beg him." At that, Ha Ni's hands clenched on the table. "I'm sick of being pathetic, lovelorn Ha Ni. He has humiliated me and put me down constantly with no thought to my feelings. Everything has been about Seung Jo, even to Seung Jo. I risked my grades to follow him around, I even joined a class and a club to be closer to him! What was I thinking! Where was my self-respect?"

"What are you saying?" Min-ah was getting worried for her friend.

"I'm going to figure out what I want. I need to find out who Ha Ni is without Seung Jo."

"Girls! You are going to be late." Min-ah looked up to find Ha Ni's pa standing at their table holding lunch boxes. "I noticed you didn't eat much so I packed you a little something to go."

Looking at their watches both girls gave a little squeal, grabbed their bags, gave Ha Ni a hug and headed for the door. Ki-dong followed them out onto the footpath still holding onto their lunch boxes. The girls thanked him profusely and started to walk away.

Minah turned back and asked "What do you think of this business?" Ha Ni's pa gave a sigh. "I hate seeing my Ha Ni so sad, but I am so proud of her for finally standing up for herself." Min-ah ran back to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "She is so lucky to have you as a pa."

Ki-dong gave her a goofy grin and a little push. "Off with you now, before you miss class." Both girls ran off with a wave and pa gave a sigh, turned around and headed back inside.

Hours later, Ha Ni was headed to class when she was stopped by He Ra in the corridor. Ha Ni gave a pout. She was the last thing she wanted to deal with right now. It was mortifying enough that there was already a flyer on the noticeboard telling everyone how Ha Ni had left Seung Jo a week after they were married, she didn't need her gloating on top of it.

"Ha Ni is it true?"

"Why don't you ask Seung Jo?"

"I have. He told me to mind my own business."

"Well maybe you should listen to him!" Ha Ni was getting frustrated with her. Why couldn't she keep her nose out of their business?

"I just wanted to say that if it's true, I applaud you." Ha Ni was surprised.

"What?"

"You made things too easy for him. I know he loves you, but you need to let him chase you for once. Show him what he has to lose." With that He Ra gave a cheery wave and continued down the corridor leaving Ha Ni standing there dumbfounded.


	3. Chapter 3 - Count On Me

**A.N.**

 **I know that I said that I wouldn't upload another chapter until later in the week, but this chapter has been forming in my mind since I started and it just needed to be written! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I had writing it.**

It's been two weeks since Ha Ni has left the Baek Household and Seung Jo is hating every moment of it. Seung Jo doesn't know what is worse, seeing the sad, disappointed looks on his family's face, hearing his mother crying for Ha Ni, seeing Ha Ni's dad spending more and more hours away from home and knowing he's to blame or walking into their room and knowing Ha Ni won't be there to welcome him. Sleeping in their bed alone is depressing and Seung Jo is finding that he is spending more of his afternoons and nights studying in the library at school and taking short naps when he can, and letting himself into the house in the early hours of the morning when his family is long asleep.

No, Seung Jo tells himself, the worst part is that Ha Ni is doing her best to avoid him. He has hardly seen her these past two weeks. He has attended every tennis club meeting but she never turns up. He is guaranteed to see her in English class, the only one they share. But she no longer sits near him. Now she sits at the back of the class right next to the door and disappears as soon as class finishes. Whenever he tries to follow her one of this classmates stops him with some trivial question. By the time he rids himself of their company with a disdainful look and a cutting putdown, she is nowhere to be found.

She won't pick up his calls and ignores his text messages. Whenever he visits the restaurant she either is not there or that Joon-gu fool protects her like a rabid guard dog. His frustration is turning to anger and today he is putting an end to it.

He makes sure he is in English class early and sits in the chair next to the one Ha Ni has claimed before her or the girl she sits beside arrive. He keeps his head down to discourage conversations with any of the silly girls that may approach him, only to quickly raise it when he hears the people around him whispering. Looking towards the door he finds Ha Ni staring at him. This is the closest he has been to her since she left and he drinks in her appearance. She is wearing that grey dress he secretly loves and he notes how beautiful she looks with a skip of his heartbeat.

"Ha Ni are you going to stand in the doorway all day or are you going to join the class?"

Seung Jo swivels his head and see's the teacher standing at the front of the class glaring at Ha Ni. While he is distracted Ha Ni rushes past his table and he watches her take his usual seat with a sinking heart. He spends the lesson glaring at Ha Ni's back, willing her to look at him like she always does and watching Ha Ni and He Ra whispering to each other and wondering when they started to have so much to talk about. He is disturbed to find that he is jealous of He Ra and relieved when the class finally finishes. He quickly packs up his books ready to corner Ha Ni.

"Mr Baek, please stay back. I need to talk to you."

Seung Jo curses under his breath and walks to the front of the class. As he walks past Ha Ni he touches her arm.

"Wait for me. Please?" She looks back at him with big doe eyes and she starts to stutter out a reply.

"Ah Mr Baek!" The teacher cuts her off and Seung Jo curses again. He gives her arm a squeeze before walking up to the teacher. He just hopes that Ha Ni is waiting for him when he is finished.

"I hear that you are tutoring students so they are better prepared for university entrance exams."

"I was. I don't really have time for it now. I'm about to start Pre-med. It doesn't leave me much free time."

"Oh well, that's a pity. We have had several enquiries and your name was mentioned. It is well known that you helped Ha Ni study to be in the top 50 students at your last school." He chuckles, "Even if it was for a short period of time."

Seung Jo gives a tight lipped smile at the perceived slight to his wife, "You should ask Yoon He Ra. She tutored alongside me."

His tutor gives him a beaming smile, "I will, thank you."

Seung Jo leaves the classroom and is disappointed to find He Ra and not Ha Ni waiting for him.

"Ha Ni told me to tell you that she had another class to get too. Here." She hands him her notes from class. "I know you didn't pay attention in class."

"Thanks."

She nudged his shoulder and joked, "I want them back so don't leave the Country."

"What were you and Ha Ni talking about in class. I didn't know you were friends?"

"I'm going to be late for my next class." With a mischievous smile and a wave she sauntered off down the corridor. Half a dozen steps later she turns back.

"I think Ha Ni and I are going to get on well. I admire her determination."

PLAYFUL KISS PLAYFUL KISS PLAYFUL KISS 

Later on that afternoon Seung Jo is studying in the library and debating on giving up for the day. His concentration is shot and he is just giving himself a headache. He thinks about tennis club and how pounding some balls might make him feel better. He has just packed up his bag when he thinks he hears Ha Ni's distinctive laughter coming from the book stacks. He wanders over quietly so as not to scare her away and freezes at the sight before him. Sitting at another table is his Ha Ni and sitting very close beside her is Kim Gi-tae. They are both leaning over an open book, their heads almost touching and Ha Ni is laughing at whatever Gi-tae is reading to her. Seung Jo can feel himself fill with rage. He wants to go over there and drag Gi-tae away from Ha Ni. Then he wants to slam his fist in that smug face. How can history be repeating itself? With clenched fists and a face like thunder, Seung Jo takes a couple of steps toward them, a cutting remark on his lips, when he is rudely pulled back and dragged behind one of the book stacks.

Seung Jo spins around to see who would dare interfere at such a time.

"Seung Jo, calm down. It's not what it looks like."

"How could it be anything but what it looks like? No wonder she never goes to practice, she is too busy spending all her time with him." he spits out at his tennis captain.

"You're right. That is why she doesn't come to practice. He is helping her study for her nursing exam, but nothing is happening between them."

"How can you be so sure?" Seung Jo finds himself being pulled by his clothes again. This time toward the book stack he was watching Ha Ni from before.

"Because of that!"

Seung Jo looks over at them again, only to find this time that there is a girl he does not recognise standing behind Gi-tae's chair with her arms wrapped around his neck while she chats happily with Ha Ni.

Captain drags Seung Jo back behind the other book stack again. "Will you stop dragging me around by my clothes like an imbicile?"

"I will when you stop acting like one!" Seung Jo draws in a breath at the words.

"That is Park Seo-yeon, Gi-tae's girlfriend. She is a nursing student. Ha Ni went to visit the nursing department and met Seo-yeon. When Ha Ni told her she wanted to become a nurse but her grades were not great, Seo-yeon told her she would help her out and that she also had a boyfriend who was very smart and had some free time until he started school next semester. He will also be taking pre-med."

When captain noticed his friend grimacing, he placed his hand on Seung Jo's shoulder and continued, "Ha Ni found it awkward to start with when she found out the boyfriend was Gi-tae, but now they are all great friends and Ha Ni spends a lot of her free time at Seo-yeon's studying. Most nights she stays over."

That explained where Ha Ni disappeared to on those nights she wasn't home and why she never turned up when Seung Jo spent hours sitting outside the restaurant waiting for her.

"How do you know all this?"

"Ha Ni and I became friends during all those tennis club meetings. I admire her determination." He follows Seung Jo back behind the other book stack and watches Seung Jo watch Ha Ni.

"I'm hearing that a lot lately." Seung Jo grumbles.

Captain smirks to himself. "I'm not surprised. I don't think Ha Ni realises how inspirational she can be. She never gives up. You are one lucky man to have won her heart. Have you told her that?"

Seung Jo looks at him like he's lost his mind. Captain doesn't worry. He has planted the thought in his head and that's all that matters, he thinks.

"Are you coming to tennis club? If I don't leave now I'm going to be late." With one last wistful look at Ha Ni, Seung Jo follows him out of the library.

PLAYFUL KISS PLAYFUL KISS PLAYFUL KISS 

Practice is over and Seung Jo is about to leave when He Ra and coach come over to him.

"Do you know what would work? Romance." Seung Jo stares at He Ra and is about to ask her what she is on about when she continues, "Have you ever wooed Ha Ni? Given her flowers or a present?" When Seung Jo looks at her blankly she asks, "A compliment?"

She looks at him disgustedly, "How did you ever manage to keep her interest for so long?"

"Ha Ni doesn't need any of those things."

"Are you sure? Look how quickly she decided to date Gi-tae after he gave her some attention."

Seung Jo felt his gut tighten at the memory. "She only dated him to try and make me jealous."

"And it worked. What if some other guy gives her the attention you deny her and she decided he was the better deal? Have you even told her you love her?"

Seung Jo regrets that the first time he said those words was when he was trying to stop her from leaving him. There was no way he was telling He Ra that though.

"Ha Ni would never do that! She is my wife now!"

"She doesn't feel like it."

"What?"

He Ra gives him a look of pity when she hears his voice break. "You wanted to know what we talked about in class today. That was it. She feels that she rushed you down the aisle and now you regret it. She told me about your honeymoon. Seung Jo for such a genius, you sure are stupid!"

Seung Jo feels himself blushing at the reminder of the hussy that ruined his honeymoon. The hussy he allowed to ruin his honeymoon, he admits to himself. He looks at He Ra and nods once at her. "It's time for you to do the running. If you want her back you need to show her how much you care."

"I know!" At coaches sudden outburst Seung Jo turns toward him to hear his input when he feels himself pushed roughly up against the brick wall.

"Try and forget me!" Seung Jo looks up at him stunned. "Yes! When she looks up at you, just like that, you swoop down and steal a kiss." Seung Jo quickly turns his head to the side when he sees coaches mouth descending.

"Sorry! I get carried away. I have perfected the move and know that it never fails to win a girls heart." Coach looks over at He Ra and Seung Jo notices the heated look they exchange. What has he missed?

"Who taught you that move?" Seung Jo asked curiously.

"Ha Ni. She knows a lot about kissing. I'm sure she could write a book!"

Seung Jo speechlessly pushes coach away from him, picks up his bag and walks off.

When he is a distance from them, Seung Jo laughs out loud.

"Oh my Ha Ni. I never realised how much our first kiss left an impression."Feeling more light-hearted than he had in weeks, he walked home. His friends had given him so much to think about.

PLAYFUL KISS PLAYFUL KISS PLAYFUL KISS 

Back on the court, coach frets. "Do you think we went too far?"

Walking up beside them captain replies, "No. I think we gave him just the kick in the pants he needed. Gi-tae appreciated the fact that I stepped in before Seung Jo could get close enough to hit him and Ha Ni was oblivious to the whole thing."

The three of them give each other high fives and turn towards Seung Jo's retreating back when they hear him laughing.

Captain looked at coach,"Coach you do realise that Seung Jo was the one that made the kissing move on Ha Ni that you have been teaching everyone right?"

"Oh!" Coach blushed and wondered why that had never occured to him before.

"Don't worry, it was perfect. Everything is going to work out." At that, He Ra linked arms with both men and left the court.


	4. Chapter 4 - Another Side of You

"Earth to Ha Ni! Come back Ha Ni! Ha Ni Ha Ni Ha Ni!"

"Hmmm?"

"We are meant to be studying and you have been staring at that wall for the last fifteen minutes. What is wrong?"

Ha Ni smiles at her strange new friend. "Oh nothing. I was just thinking."

Seo-yeon is different to anyone Ha Ni had ever met. Her family had just returned to South Korea after spending the last five years living in England. She is outspoken and randomly quotes western movies and tv shows. After realising that Ha Ni had no idea what she was going on about half the time, Seo-yeon has made it her mission to educate her on all things western pop culture. Ha Ni now spends most of her nights having tv marathons with sub titles on and learning about wizards, doctors that fly around in boxes and consulting detectives. In return, Ha Ni shows Seo-yeon all the best dramas from their motherland that she has missed out on. Other than studying nursing together, Seo-yeon helps her with English homework. When they come together at meal times, the whole Park family only speak to her in English at her request. After a month of this, Ha Ni is amazed at how much her understanding has improved. She still has regular embarrassing miscommunications, but the Park family is very supportive and Ha Ni can easily laugh along with them.

"What are you thinking about?"

"About how lucky I am to have you as a friend. Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you. The last four weeks has been the most fun since I returned from the UK three months ago. I no longer feel home sick and you have shared your friends with me. You are the companion to my Doctor."

"Hey! Why am I the companion?"

"It all has to do with your food preferences." Both girls turned to the door to see Seo-yeon's brother enter with a tray of covered dishes.

Seo-yeon clapped her hands. "Oppa is that what I think it is?"

Placing it on the table, Daasi removed the lid from two dishes with a flourish to reveal fish fingers and custard. "Tonight we introduce Ha Ni to the Eleventh Doctor. We can't do that without his signature dish!"

Seeing Ha Ni grimace at the food, Daasi removed the lid from the remaining dish. "Don't worry Ha Ni, it's an acquired taste, so I made you some noodles."

Ha Ni beamed at him while packing up her books. "Thank you Daasi."

"Ha Ni who would have thought we had our own ood?"

Looking at the indignant expression on Daasi's face, both girls started to laugh.

"Excuse me? With my dashing good looks, I could only be Captain Jack!"

Laughing harder, Seo-yeon threw a cushion at his head and Ha Ni grabbed his arm and pulled him onto the couch. "Shut up Captain Jack and sit down so we can start the show."

Ha Ni grabbed her noodles from the table and settled in for a night with her new friends.

The next morning the girls left early so they could call into Ha Ni's to pick up some clean clothes and see Ha Ni's dad. When they entered her small set of rooms, both of them were amazed at several huge arrangements of flowers in various states of decomposition.

"Oh Ha Ni! Are these from Seung Jo?"

"Seung Jo and romance?" Ha Ni shakes her head. "They are probably from Joon gu."

"Seung Jo has been coming here every night for the last two weeks. He brings a bunch of your favourite flowers every time he comes."

Ha Ni turns around to see her father in the doorway. "Papa! Why didn't you tell me?"

"The adults decided to stay out of it. We all love and support the both of you. I knew you would turn up eventually, I just didn't think that it would take a fortnight."

Ha Ni teared up as she heard her father's chiding voice.

"I'm so sorry for keeping Ha Ni away from home for so long Mr Oh."

Ha Ni's father smiled at Seo-yeon as he pulled Ha Ni in for a hug. "You have nothing to apologise for Seo-yeon. I am happy to see my Ha Ni looking so happy again. I am grateful to your family and her friends for that."

He pulled Ha Ni away so he could look into her eyes, "You need to stop being a stranger. Phone calls do not compare to seeing your pretty face."

When Ha Ni nods, he continues, "I need to get back downstairs. Have dinner with me tonight?"

Ha Ni nods again and the girls listen to him walk down the stairs.

"Ha Ni, I think you underestimated your Seung Jo."

Ha Ni smells the flowers closest to her. "I can't believe he done this."

"Has he not approached you at school?"

"Yes, but I have gotten good at avoiding him." With a whine Ha Ni continues, "Now I feel terrible!"

"Hmm, what would Lizzie do?"

"What?"

"Lizzie is an inspiring heroine brought to life by Jane Austen, a classic writer of woman's romance. Surely you have heard of Jane Austen?"

"Vaguely."

With a sigh Seo-yeon drags Ha Ni from the room. "Don't worry I'll fill you in on the way to school. Jane Austen will be next on our movie education. We need to come up with a plan to encourage our Darcy without giving over to him."

"What?"

"Shh, let me think."

Later that morning, Ha Ni entered the English classroom late. Predictably Seung Jo was seated beside her usual chair.

"Ha Ni hurry up and sit down!"

"Yes sir!" Ha Ni pulled out her chair and took a sneak peek at the smile Seung Jo was trying to hide as she sat beside him.

Bending down Ha Ni took her books and phone from her bag, straightening up Ha Ni thought she felt a hand softly stroke her sleeve. Placing her belongings on the table, Ha Ni peeked at Seung Jo again to find his face flushed. God lord. Ha Ni forgot how distracting Seung Jo was up this close and if he continued to touch her, there was no way she was going to be able to concentrate in class.

Seung Jo could not believe his luck. It had taken two weeks, but he was finally within touching distance and she could not escape him for the next 90 minutes. He turned toward her when he heard the teacher speak her name, and was surprised to see her lower her arm. Had she volunteered to answer a question? Even more surprising was that Ha Ni answered it correctly. Then continued to do so with her slow and broken English.

How can she concentrate with him beside her? Had she changed that much? He remembered their last English exam where he felt her eyes on him the whole time. He knew she would never complete the exam with him there so he finished in record time so she wouldn't be distracted. She only just managed to pass and he was happy to still have her in his class. Now she acted like he wasn't even there and he was the one distracted. This was not right. Seung Jo manoeuvred his chair a few inches closer to Ha Ni and waited for her reaction. When he didn't receive one, and Ha Ni continued to raise her hand to answer the teacher's questions, Seung Jo moved his chair again. This time he made sure that their arms were pressed together and he moved his leg until his thigh was pressed against hers. Seung Jo smirked, she wouldn't be able to ignore him this time. Feeling Ha Ni turn to look at him, he gave his attention to the teacher.

By this time, the teacher was amazed at Ha Ni and asked for her to answer another question. When Ha Ni answered it correctly, the teacher praised her efforts.

"Ha Ni have you actually been studying?"

"Yes sir. I also have English speaking friends who have been helping me out with pronunciation. I still make a lot of mistakes but I'm getting better."

"It shows. Great job! Keep it up and I'm sure your marks will improve greatly with our next exam."

Seung Jo saw the huge grin on Ha Ni's face and felt proud of her. She really was trying so hard. Pulling out a pack of sticky notes from his bag he quickly wrote:

You are amazing.

Before quickly sticking it to her table in front of her.

Ha Ni moved it off to the side and quietly thanked him with a smile. Elated to have her talking to him, he quickly wrote another.

I would like to meet your friend.

Her name is Park Seo-yeon right?

Before Ha Ni could reply her phone started to vibrate on the table between them. Seung Jo managed to read the incoming message on the screen before Ha Ni snatched it up.

Have you hooked Darcy yet?

Looking over at Ha Ni and seeing her blush while typing out a quick reply, Seung Jo felt his heart clench. Who is Darcy? He watched her slip her phone into her pocket and frowned. What was she hiding?

While he was distracted with the text message and its meaning, Ha Ni had written a reply on the sticky note and stuck it in front of him.

Yes. Her parents and brother have helped a lot.

She has a brother? No one told me she has a brother! Seung Jo takes a deep breath and lets it out. Keep calm.

She has a brother? Is he very young?

"He is 21."

Seung Jo glares at Ha Ni as she pulls out her phone and reads a new message. Grabbing his sticky note pad he writes again.

Have you not received any of my flowers?

He stuck it in front of her while she slipped her phone back in her pocket.

Yes I did. Thank you.

That's it?

You could have called me.

I only seen them this morning.

Has she not been home in two weeks?

I tried to call you.

I blocked your number.

What!

Just then the teacher signalled the end of class. Seung Jo was not finished talking to Ha Ni and wrapped his foot around the leg of her chair so she couldn't escape. Quickly throwing his stuff in his bag he grabbed a hold of Ha Ni's arm and helped her up.

"What are you doing?"

"We are not finished talking. I'm not letting you escape just yet."

"You never used to be this persistent."

"You never used to run away from me!" Matching Ha Ni's glare with one of his own, Seung Jo pulled her in closer to his side.

"Ha Ni!" Turning towards the newcomers voice Seung Jo watched a smile light up Ha Ni's face.

"I've come to issue you an invitation. Would you like to have din…?"

"Ha Ni, you haven't introduced me to your friend?" Seung Jo interrupted.

"Oh I'm sorry. Seung Jo this is Park Daasi. Daasi, this is Baek Seung Jo."

Daasi? Darcy? Surely Ha Ni hasn't developed feelings for this upstart?

"Nice to meet you Seung Jo. Ha Ni likes to call me Captain Jack."

Seung Jo is perplexed. "After the gay pirate?"

Ha Ni starts to giggle beside him. "No. After the charming and dashing timetraveller."

Seeing Daasi and Ha Ni grinning at each other, Seung Jo is sure his heart has missed a few beats.

"I'm sorry. Ha Ni will be busy for the foreseeable future with her husband." With that parting shot, Seung Jo dragged Ha Ni down the hall, her protesting all the way.

When they turn the corner, Seung Jo pushes Ha Ni up against the wall by her shoulders and holds her there. "Didn't I say you couldn't like anyone but me?"

Seung Jo leans down and takes Ha Ni's lips in a possessive kiss. It's been a month since Ha Ni left him. She needs reminding of who she belongs too. Seung Jo presses his body into hers and kisses Ha Ni until he feels her clinging to him. Trying to remember where they are. Seung Jo pulls away and looks at Ha Ni's dazed expression with euphoria. I dare any man to rival that.

"You're mine and don't forget it." With those words whispered in her ear. Ha Ni watches Seung Jo walk away.


	5. Chapter 5 - Tell Her About It

CHAPTER 5

Later that afternoon Ha Ni sat in her papa's restaurant while Joon-Gu regularly supplied Ha Ni with new dishes that he had been perfecting.

"Oi! Enough!" Ki-Dong took a rueful look at the table top his daughter was sitting at and shook his head at the sight. There was no available space left to place the drinks down that he had fetched for his daughter and himself.

Handing a glass to Ha Ni, he said, "Looking at all these dishes, I am sure there is a mountain of washing up to be done in the kitchen."

"But boss, I haven't seen Ha Ni in weeks…"

"Boy! If that kitchen is not in ship shape order in the next hour I'll be docking your pay!"

"But boss…"

Hearing his apprentice chef whine, Ki-dong gave him a look that meant business. Joon-Gu spun around heading for the kitchen, grumbling all the way. Ki-Dong smiled to himself, Joon-Gu was a good kid and a great chef. Listening to the sweet sound of his daughter's giggles as she watched Joon-Gu's retreating back, he once again wished his Ha Ni had fallen for her friend instead of the cold Seung Jo. Their personalities were somewhat similar, and he was sure they could have been happy together.

Sighing, Ki-Dong knew he wasn't being fair to his son-in-law. An image of Seung Jo's pinched pale face flashed in his head. He was never sure that Seung Jo was in love with his daughter and had privately worried that the kid had only confessed to Ha Ni out of fear of losing her to Joon-Gu. He regretted letting Guem-hee steam roll him into agreeing to giving the kids a quickie wedding, but seeing how happy Ha Ni was, he couldn't refuse. These past few weeks, seeing the effect Ha Ni's leaving had left on Seung Jo left him in no doubt that the Baek boy was desperately in love with his daughter and his heart hurt for the kid.

Looking over at Ha Ni, he was conflicted. As much as he hated witnessing his son in pain, he couldn't deny that this break had done wonders for his daughter. She was finally growing up and finding herself. Guem-Hee, who hadn't given up on her spying expeditions, had informed him that Ha Ni had been studying hard and her improvement was leaving her professors impressed. He was so proud of her.

Reaching across the table, he took Ha Ni's hand. "Tell me sweetheart, how are you really going?"

Smiling across at her dad she gave him a smile while squeezing his hand, "I'm doing ok."

Seeing her eyes well up with tears he felt his heart clench. "Are you sure?"

"I miss him dad…so much!" Wiping away a tear Ha Ni continued, "but this is something I must do. I need to show him that I can do this by myself. That I am a whole person without him. I forgot that."

Hearing her voice crack, Ki-dong felt his heart break a little. "I am so proud of you my girl. You are so strong, and I support you in all your decisions."

"Tell me, how is he doing?"

"He is struggling. He misses you." Laughing he continues, "You know how closed off he is, if I can tell how badly your separation is affecting him, he really isn't doing well."

Seeing a look of misery on his daughter's face, he squeezed her hand. "Don't feel guilty love. This separation will make your relationship stronger in the long run. Maybe throw him a bone every now and then, give him so hope that you will go back to him eventually."

Wanting to cheer his daughter Ki-dong picked up his chop sticks and changed the subject.

"How about we start in on these delicious dishes before they get cold and we upset Joon-Gu."

Looking over at the door to the kitchen they saw Joon-Gu watching them. Putting a bite of some pork dish in her mouth, Ha Ni groaned at the explosion of flavour on her tongue and gave Joon-Gu a thumb's up. Seeing this, Joon-Gu happily went back to work cleaning the large pile of pots he had used after hearing Ha Ni was coming for dinner.

"So, tell me about your new friends." Ki-dong happily spent the evening listening to his daughter talk animatedly about everything that had happened these past few weeks with the siblings and was glad to see Ha Ni's usual happy smile plastered on her face again. He didn't realise how much he missed it until then.

PLAYFUL KISS PLAYFUL KISS PLAYFUL KISS

Several hours later, Seung Jo was lying in bed holding Ha Ni's pillow and thinking about the events of the day. Surely, she hadn't moved on with that Darcy fellow. Placing a hand on his heart he felt it beating fast at the thought. Remembering how she reacted to his kiss that day, he tried to reassure himself. "She loves me", he whispered to his too quiet room. But remembering how happy she looked when the Darcy fellow spoke to her, he felt doubt creep in again with a strong dose of jealousy.

"You are a fool! IDIOT!"

"Hyung, are you ok?"

Hearing his brother at his door, he realised he had spoken out loud.

Sighing he replied, "I'm fine, go to bed Eun Jo."

Hearing his brother mumbling about how much of a bakka he was, he couldn't help but agree. Picking up his phone he went into his contact list and hesitated when Ha Ni's name was illuminated. Did he dare risk being rejected again? Pressing the call button, he prayed she picked up her phone. He wanted to hear her voice. Surely, he would be able to tell if she still cared if she just spoke to him. Hearing her voicemail click in he hung up. Did she really block his number? Heart aching, he opened the messaging app.

Ha Ni, if you blocked my number I know you won't receive this. But I don't know what else to do other than sit in front of your door that I know you won't open. I want you to know how much I regret saying those hurtful things to you. I didn't understand how much I hurt you for all these years when I acted cold towards you, now I do. I have never felt this feeling before, it's like I have an empty space in my chest. Is that how you felt? I'm so sorry. I love you. I would tell you that every day if you would just listen to me. If by some miracle you decide to give this cold-hearted bastard another chance, I would tell you how much I love you every day. You would never be in doubt of that ever again. Good night my love.

Across town in her own lonely single bed, Ha Na brushed tears away from her eyes as she read Seung Jo's message. Running her finger across the words on her screen she whispered,

"Good night."


	6. Chapter 6 - The Game Plan

**Chapter 6**

The next morning Ha Ni was woken up by her friends.

"Come on Ha Ni! If you don't get up now there won't be enough time to eat breakfast before school!"

Min-Ah snickered from the door and rolled her eyes. "We came an hour early. You won't miss out on breakfast."

After one more violent shake of her shoulder, Ha Ni turned over and gave a disgruntled look at Joo-Ri, causing Joo-Ri to scream and jump back in fright.

At that moment Ha Ni's phone let out a buzz. Both girls read the message on the screen.

'Good morning beautiful. I hope you had a good sleep.'

Joo-Ri snickered. "If Seung Jo saw you now he wouldn't call you beautiful. Good God woman what happened to you. I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest when I saw you!"

Jumping out of bed, Ha Ni ran to her dresser and the mirror there, pushing Min-Ah out of the way so she could get a look at her face. Grimacing at the pale face with tear stains and puffy eyes looking back at her, Ha Ni ran her fingers through her tangled hair.

"Seung Jo messaged me last night. He… "

Ha Ni was interrupted by Min-Ah putting her arm around Ha Ni's shoulder. Min-Ah smiled at Ha Ni through the mirror.

"Don't worry about that now. Go wash your face and meet us down stairs. Everyone is down there waiting for you, so we can talk about what happened yesterday."

The three girls walked out of the room together. On the landing Min-Ah gave Ha Ni a little push towards the tiny bathroom, then linked arms with Joo-Ri and continued down the stairs.

Ten minutes later Ha Ni entered the restaurant still in her pyjamas, but with her face washed and her hair cascading down her back in its usual neat style she was feeling more presentable. Taking a seat at the table Ha Ni noticed that as well as the Park siblings, Gi-Tae was also joining them for breakfast. After greeting everyone Ha Ni saw her father walking towards them pushing a trolley of covered dishes.

"Papa the restaurant doesn't open until 10. You don't need to make us all breakfast."

Dropping a kiss on Ha Ni's forehead, Ki-Dong replied, "Ha Ni, I need to do prep for the day so I'm here anyway." Smiling at the Park siblings he continued, "Plus you spend so much time eating at the Park residence that I'm happy to feed them anytime," smiling at the other occupants of the table, "that goes for all your friends."

Seeing her fathers smile falter when his eyes landed on Gi-Tae, Ha Ni quickly introduced him. "Papa, this is Kim Gi-Tae, Seo-Yeon's boyfriend."

"Kim Gi-Tae… Why does that name sound familiar…?"

Seeing both her boyfriend and Ha Ni blush, Seo-Yeon giggled. "Ha Ni agreed to go out on a date with Gi-Tae to make Seung Jo jealous."

"It didn't work." Ha Ni interrupted with a frown.

"Anyway, when Ha Ni decided to join nursing and we met, I introduced them and was amazed to find out they dated. Lucky I'm not the jealous type, and as they say, the rest is history."

Seeing how awkward Gi-Tae was feeling, Ki-Dong introduced him self to the younger man. "It's good to meet you. As a friend of Ha Ni's, you are welcome to eat here any time."

"Thank you, sir."

"YOU!"

Hearing the angry shout come from the kitchen doorway, Ki-Dong turned in time to see Joon-Gu come blustering out holding a tray of drinks.

"Don't think you can come sniffing around Ha Ni now she's single. If you try to make a move on her I will punch you again!"

By this time Joon-Gu was standing toe to toe with Gi-Tae. Gi-Tae's posture showing he was ready to act in self-defence. Sighing in exasperation Ki-Dong took the tray of drinks out of Joon-Gu's hand before he dropped them and placed the tray on the table.

"Boy! You need to control that temper. That's a customer you are talking to. Remember you are an employee here and one who is skating on thin ice. If I hear one more outburst like that come from your mouth in this restaurant you will be looking for a new job."

"But boss…"

"No buts. Get back in that kitchen before I change my mind on giving you another chance."

With one last glare at Gi-Tae, Joon-Gu spun on his heel and went back the way he came.

"I'm sorry about that kids." Gently pushing Gi-Tae back into his seat, Ki-Dong continued," Please enjoy your breakfast. I will make sure you are not interrupted."

When Ha Ni's father left them, they started to eat.

"Joon-Gu hit you? What happened?"

Looking at his girlfriend, Gi-Tae replied, "We got into a fight in the library." Looking at Ha Ni he continued, "You are wrong if you thought Seung Jo wasn't jealous. That day when he broke up the fight and held you by his side, he looked so possessive that I knew it was time to give up on you. Even if he had not admitted it to himself, I knew then that he was in love with you. Then when we were studying the other day I thought he was going to hit me, he was so angry."

Gi-Tae laughed." I think I need to stay away from libraries. They are going to be the death of me."

"What?"

Seeing Ha Ni's confused look, Daasi smirked and leaned across the table to ruffle her hair. "Ha Ni you are so unobservant. World War three could break out around you and you would probably still not notice. It was a good thing the tennis captain turned up that day."

"You weren't even there!"

"I told him about it later. Seeing my cutie about to get hit…" Seo-Yeon took Gi-Tae's hand in hers and smiling at each other sweetly continued," …I had to do something drastic and step out of my comfort zone to show some PDA to convince your husband my guy is no longer a threat!"

Everyone at the table cracked up laughing at Seo-Yeon's blatant exaggeration.

"I feel you Gi-Tae. I could feel my lifespan decreasing yesterday. He comes across as so cold, but there is no denying there is red hot blood running through those veins."

Daasi winked at Ha Ni. "Lucky girl!"

Smacking him on the arm, Seo-Yeon gives him a look of exasperation. "Knock it off Daasi. You like to think you are as cool as Captain Jack but we both know you don't swing both ways. I see the way you watch that girl in your law class."

Glaring at his sister for bringing up the girl who refuses to fall for his charms, "How do you know I haven't dabbled in the male form? Anyway, where is my respect? You don't even use honorifics with me." Daasi whined. "Our parents ruined you when they let you immerse in the Western culture!"

Hearing this argument many times before and wanting to distract them before it escalated, Min-Ah interrupted,

"So, what happened yesterday? You looked terrible when we woke you earlier. Did things not go well?"

"Oh my God, I nearly had a heart attack, you looked like the girl from the ring!"

Ha Ni laughed. "I'm sorry Joo-Ri. To answer your question, I think it went well. I turned up late and sat next to him like planned. I did my best to not let him distract me and by some miracle I answered a couple of questions correctly. Because of that my professor was impressed and tested me by making me answer a lot of questions. So, I had to listen to the lecture because I didn't want to look like an idiot in front of Seung Jo."

Leaning across the table, Seo-Yeon asked eagerly, "What was Seung Jo doing?"

Sighing Ha Ni replied, "Everything he could to distract me." Smiling at the memory of him pulling his chair right up beside hers Ha Ni continued, "He then started passing sticky notes to me. Complimenting me on my improved English, asking about the flowers… and you guys.", with a look at the Park siblings.

Daasi interrupted, "Oh great! So, he already knew who I was before I came to your classroom.", with a huge grin on his face.

"What?"

"You went to her class?"

"Why did you go to her class?"

Was heard around the table. Seo-Yeon answered," Ha Ni and I were messaging, and she told me she was sure Seung Jo had read the first message about catching Mr Darcy. Our Mr Darcy has an IQ of 200 so if he read it I was sure he would see the similarity in names with dear brother here and thought I'd give him a little incentive."

"I was wondering why I was getting an invite to dinner when you guys knew I was having dinner with my father."

"Of course, seeing my superior looks would be enough to make anyone nervous!" Turning serious Daasi continued, "Did anything untoward happen when he dragged you out of the class room and away from me?"

Seeing Ha Ni blush and cover her cheeks, Min-Ah gave her a reprieve from answering that question. "So, if nothing bad happened why did you wake up this morning looking like you had been crying all night?"

"Last night, even after I had told him I had blocked his number, he sent me a text message. It was the most sincere and honest he has ever been with me. I was touched."

Hearing a whoop across the table, Ha Ni looked up in time to see Daasi and Seo-Yeon high five each other.

"Operation "Bag Mr Darcy" is on! Hurry and go get ready Ha Ni while we work out a game plan."

"But…I still don't know who this Darcy guy is."

"Don't worry, we will watch the movie after school, I'm sure you will see the similarities." Seo-Yeon pushed Ha Ni towards the stairs and went to join the huddle at the table.

Ha Ni, seeing all her friends whispering with their heads together, went to get ready.

Twenty minutes later Ha Ni descended the stairs to see her friends collecting their stuff ready to leave. Noticing Ha Ni, Seo-Yeon broke away from the group to link her arm with Ha Ni's.

"Perfect timing! Let's go and we will fill you in on the way."

Ha Ni and her friends said good bye to Ha Ni's father as they walked out the door.

Linking her other arm with Gi-Tae, Seo-Yeon began, "You are doing great. Seung Jo is finally starting to show his emotions. He needs to court you like he should have done in the beginning. You need to give him encouragement without falling back into old habits."

"How am I meant to do that? I want things to be different but he's just…", imagining Seung Jo's perfect features.

Seeing Ha Ni starting to slip into a daydream, Seo-Yeon clicked her fingers in front of Ha Ni's face.

"Earth to Ha Ni!"

"Oh! Sorry." Ha Ni looked a little ashamed of herself.

"You need to stop avoiding him."

Min-Ah voiced her concern. "Uh that has never worked to her advantage in the past. When she would try to get over him and stay away, at the littlest encouragement from him she would go straight back to her stalkerish ways."

"YAH!" Hearing Daasi laughing beside her, she smacked him on the arm.

Grimacing, Min-Ah apologised. "Sorry Ha Ni but it's true."

Gi-Tae had a thoughtful look on his face. "I think Seung Jo liked her stalkerish ways."

"WHAT!" Ha Ni, Min-Ah and Joo-Ri exclaimed together.

"He used to belittle her for following him all the time." Joo Ri argued.

"Maybe in the beginning. I don't want to come across as a stalker myself, but while keeping an eye on my biggest rival, I observed some things."

"Like?"

"Ha Ni remember when you stopped following him after you thought he and that uppity girl were living together?"

"He Ra? She's not so bad."

"Well he noticed your lack of presence in his life. I can't be sure, but I think at that time he would watch for you." Gi-Tae looked at Joo-Ri and Min-Ah, "Didn't you find it odd that as soon as you accused him of stringing Ha Ni along while he was seeing someone else, their misunderstanding was cleared up?"

Min-Ah replied thoughtfully, "I didn't at the time, but looking back on it…"

"As soon as you two left, he made a phone call and went to find Ha Ni."

"He told me he was only tutoring with He Ra and introduced me to the kid." Ha Ni supplied.

"If he liked her back then why did he agree to marry He Ra!" The anger in Joo-Ri's voice apparent.

Seeing the sadness in Ha Ni's face, Daasi grabbed Ha Ni's hand, "That's something only Seung Jo can answer. If I have the timeline right, what I want to know is, if you had suspicions that Seung Jo liked Ha Ni and knew Ha Ni liked him, why did you confess to her a couple of days later?"

Everyone stopped and faced Gi-Tae, who's face was turning red from embarrassment. "Well I knew he was a conceited ass and thought he was encouraging Ha Ni for an ego boost. I was sure of it on the day I went to visit Ha Ni at the tennis courts. I gave him a chance when I asked for his permission to date her and he told me to go ahead! It wasn't until that incident in the library…"

"That arrogant ass!" Seo-Yeon fumed, "Ha Ni I don't blame you for using Gi-Tae", in an aside to Gi-Tae, "Sorry baby. I hope you rubbed his face in it!"

"She asked me to meet her at his workplace. While he was working."

Everyone laughed while Ha Ni ducked her head.

"Seriously though Gi-Tae, I'm really sorry for using you like that and causing you any pain. It was really mean, and I still feel terrible about it."

Smiling at Ha Ni then Seo-Yeon he replied. "Don't worry about it, all was forgotten when I met this beautiful girl and I got to keep you as a great friend. I'm a lucky guy!"

Seo-Yeon gave him a kiss on the cheek and pressed closer to his side. "Ok then, we need to limit face to face contact to English class. If you find yourself in difficulty, message any one of us for support."

"I have a better idea! We all need to stay up to date, we need a group chat." Joo-Ri exclaimed excitedly.

"Great idea!" Min-Ah quickly opened her messaging app and added everyone to a new group.

Outside the school gates Seo-Yeon addressed Ha Ni, "Don't forget you are coming to our place to watch Pride and Prejudice later. Everyone is welcome if you can handle a chick flick!" Seo-Yeon invited.

"Speaking of Mr Darcy…" Daasi trailed off.

Looking up, Ha Ni met Seung Jo's icy glare from across the grounds. Wondering what she could have possibly done to make him angry first thing in the morning, she watched his eyes slowly travel from her face to her hand held in Daasi's then back to her face. Ha Ni quickly took her hand out of Daasi's. Seung Jo raised his eyebrow, turned around and walked away.

Ha Ni was distracted from watching his stiff posture depart by Seo-Yeon's breathless exclamation.

"Oh my! Why do I feel like I'm watching a drama right now!" While fanning herself with her hand.


End file.
